Scion About To Undergo Massive Model Overhaul

Toyota’s youth brand has fallen on hard times and existed in automotive purgatory for the last couple of years. While Scion did enjoy some early success in the US with their original, funky models, the current line-up of two-lettered vehicles is a bit lacklustre.

In the future, that may all change, as Toyota has decided to give Scion a fresh, new, and expanded lineup if reports from Automotive News are to be believed.

Instead of going down the road of turning Scion into a near-luxury brand, sitting between Toyota and Lexus, the powers that be have decided to go back to the brand’s roots and offer a youthful lineup of vehicles in a modern way.

Firstly, Toyota has filed a bevy of trademark applications for names. Specifically, iA, iD, iM, tD, tK, tR, tS and tZ. This doesn’t mean any Scion model will use these particular names, but it does mean Toyota is spending some cash in order to at least park them for the time being.

Scion’s most iconic model, the two-box xB, will likely get axed in favour of a European Toyota Auris based model, set to arrive next year. AN states the model will probably get a more powerful engine for the North American market.

A production agreement with Mazda will also spawn a new model at Scion. First rumoured to be the next Yaris, Toyota will utilize the Mazda 2 as the basis for a car to replace the xD, also due sometime in 2015. AN says it will have four-doors and a trunk versus the Mazda 2’s hatchback bodystyle. The new Scion model is also rumoured to be powered by Mazda’s 1.5-litre Skyactiv mill.

The FR-S will be due for a redesign a couple years later in 2017, while a new Corolla-based crossover may come to the brand for the first time, slotting in below the Toyota RAV4.

One model that will get killed off, with no replacement in sight, is the Scion iQ microcar. While it was available in Europe with a manual transmission, Toyota brought the uniquely engineered 3+1 vehicle to North America with a slushbox only. AN predicts the car will be killed off after the 2014 model year.

Mark Stevenson is a former IT professional turned automotive journalist. He is also Autos.ca's news editor. Mark spends an inordinate amount of time on two wheels, and lives with his dogs Nismo and Maloo.